Finance and Funding

The battels account

Each member of College has a battels account, which refers to the account with the College where a record is kept of the fees and charges that students are liable to pay, including fees, College deposit, College community charge, charges for accommodation and other charges that may be incurred during the year.

Battels statements are sent by email five times a year: at the start of each term; at the end of the summer term; and at the end of July.  The statements are sent by email, usually to College email addresses, although the first statement may be sent to the email address given on students’ application forms.

All fees and charges on battels statements must be paid by the deadline shown in the header of the email attaching the statement. This is normally two weeks after the date that the statement is sent.

Non-payment of battels is taken seriously. Where battels balances remain uncleared, College facilities may be withdrawn. If full payment is not received promptly, interest may be charged on the balance outstanding.  

The College will not make loans or advances to students in respect of scholarships, bursaries, loans or other payments which students may be due to receive.

Payment methods

Please pay via bank transfer wherever possible.  Payment can be made over the phone with a credit/debit card where absolutely necessary between the hours 9.30am and 2pm, further information can be found here 

University Course fees

All students are liable to pay their fees for the duration of their standard period of fee liability. Please see the University website for a definition of fee liability.

Fees will be billed on the first battels statement and must be paid in full by the end of 1st week of Michaelmas (autumn/fall) term.

Students holding scholarships that will be paid to them in instalments so that they can then pay fees etc. to the College may be able to arrange a payment plan to align with payments from the funding body. The College will require evidence from the sponsor showing the schedule of payment the student will receive.  Please contact the Accounts team.

US federal loan funding

Students funded by US federal loans will receive a statement showing the fees and charges due but do not need to make a payment unless the loan is insufficient to cover the full amount of their fees, as they will automatically be deducted from the loan instalments in equal parts through the year.

As the exchange rate between USD and GBP will vary, an exact sum cannot be established at the start of the year.

If a loan is insufficient to cover all fees and charges, the student will need to arrange a payment to cover the shortfall.

If a loan is intended to fund all or partial living costs in addition to fees and charges shown on a battels statement, students will need to open a UK bank account as soon as possible and pass the account details to a member of the Accounts team so that any balance due can be paid over promptly.

Please note that the date that a loan is paid to the College is not the date that students will receive funds in their bank account. The College is required to allocate money received on a student’s behalf to their battels account within 3 working days of it reaching the College bank account. Deductions are then calculated for fees and other College charges before paying the balance over to the student. This must be done within a further 14 days.

University continuation charges

Research students who have reached their standard period of fee liability (usually 6 terms for MLitt students and DPhil students who previously completed an MPhil or 9 terms for all other DPhil students, but see the University website for a full definition) and continue to be enrolled and studying will then be liable to pay the University continuation charge.

Charges are payable up to and including the term in which a thesis is submitted (even if a thesis is later referred back). The charges are not payable during any term in which a student is suspended.

The University continuation charge is billed and collected by the University.

College deposit

The College requires each student to pay a deposit at the start of their course (students continuing immediately from one degree to another do not need to pay a second deposit). The deposit paid at the start of the first course will be held until the second is completed).

The deposit will be £250 in 2023/24. Information is sent towards the end of a student’s course about deposit refunds. Deposits would only be withheld in full or in part by the College in the case of debt due to the College and/or loss or damage to College property.

College community charge

Students are liable for a College community charge at the start of each academic year. The charge is compulsory for all students regardless of whether they expect to be based in College during the year and will be £96 for the full year in 2023/24. This charge entitles students to use the Hall and its facilities and helps the College keep meal charges for students as low as possible. The charge also contributes towards the upkeep of communal areas, and allows the College to support the GCR to run its events and other activities. 

Advice and help with financial matters

Students who begin to experience financial difficulties during their course should contact the College Accountant in the first instance. This should be done as soon as is practical so that they can be made aware of their options and directed towards other sources of help and support where possible.

Travel and research grants

The College offers student travel and research (STAR) grants to assist students in their research related expenses or to fund attendance at conferences to which students have been invited to present their research findings. Grants are offered from a range of College funds such as the Antonian Fund, Carr and Stahl Fund, Peter Fitzpatrick Fund and the Chigusa Trust.

Masters students may receive grants of up to £200 for each year of their degree course. DPhils may receive up to £600 for the duration of their course.

Funding is awarded every term. Applications should be submitted in the term preceeding the relevant conference or fieldwork. Retrospective applications are not accepted.

Full details and application deadlines can be found on the College website.

Students are strongly urged to seek funding from other sources, including their departments or faculties. The University’s Fees and Funding website has a guide to funding for current graduates.

Writing-Up Bursaries

The College awards a small number of  Writing-Up Bursaries each term.

The bursaries are worth £1,000 each and are aimed at supporting students nearing completion of their DPhil with funding for their remaining living costs.

Awards are made on the basis of both academic achievement and financial need. Students may receive only one Writing-Up Bursary during the course of their DPhil.

Full details and application deadlines can be found here.

Antonian Fund

St Antony’s has launched the Antonian Fund to support a range of initiatives that will enhance all aspects of academic and student life across the College.

By offering graduate scholarships, the Antonian Fund will ensure that the College will be able to attract and support students of the highest calibre from all over the world in their pursuit of academic excellence.

The Fund will also assist students and Fellows with research-related expenses, for example funding fieldwork or conference attendance, through STAR grants (see 9.9). The Fund supports sports societies, the Library, Graduate Common Room and other facilities. Funding will be allocated in response to requests from students and academics.

To enrich academic life for students and Fellows alike, the Antonian Fund will also award grants for conferences, special lectures and workshops, post-doctoral scholarships, and many other worthy academic activities.

Hardship funds

The University and the College have hardship funds which can be made available as either a loan or a grant to students who find themselves unexpectedly and unforeseeably in financial need.

Both the College and the University hardship fund committees look very carefully at applicants’ original financial declaration paperwork. Evidence is therefore needed of how circumstances have changed unexpectedly and unforeseeably since that time. It should be noted that currency fluctuation does not count as unforeseen hardship.

One application form is used for both College and University hardship applications. Note that UK students must apply for the Access to Learning Fund before they can apply to the University Hardship Funds. The deadlines for applications are available on the College website. The College Hardship Committee can also review applications for emergency short-term hardship loans at any time; information about this is also on the College website.